Feed-water regulator for steam-generators.



W., T. W. & A. LEES. FEED WATER REGULATOR FOR STEAM GENERATORS. AIPLIOATION FILED Emma, 1911.

.1 ,OQQQZLL Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAFH C0" WASHINGTON, D- C- UNlTED STATES PATENT @FFKQE WALTER LEES, THOMAS WILLIAM LEES, AND ARCHIBALD LEES, 0F HALIFAX, ENGLAND.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR FOR STEAM-GENERATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Application filed February 18, 1911. Serial No. 609,428.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VALTER Lnns, THOMAS XVILLIAM Lnns, and Anorimann LEES, subjects of King George V of Great Britain, residing at Halifax, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed ater Regulators for Steam-Generators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention refers to feed water regu lators for steam generators and the like, and its object is to improve upon the construction of feed water regulator set forth in Patent No. 978,664 dated December 13th, 1910, granted to the present applicants and others so that in cases where a steam pump, and particularly a steam pump having no dead centers, is employed to force the feed water past the regulator valve into the boiler, the volume of steam supplied to the pump will be regulated in proportion to the quantity of feed water called for. That is to say, if the water in the boiler is at the normal or working level and no feed water is therefore required, the pump is allowed to remain at rest, but when feed water 'is to be passed into the boiler, a proportionate volume of steam is supplied to the pump according to requirements.

The manner in which we attain our ob ject is illustrated by the accompanying drawing which is a sectional elevation of a feed water regulator constructed according to the prior patent referred to and having an embodiment of our present improvements applied thereto.

In the drawing, 1 represents the boiler; 2 a chamber containing the water regulator valve 3, said chamber being supported on a hollow block 1 suitably secured in an opening in the boiler shell; 5 is a chamber attached to the block 4, inside the boiler, and having a pipe 6 leading from its bottom part and extending below thenormal working level of the water in the boiler; 7 is a spindle operated by a float controlled lever 8 to actuate the valve 3, when required, to admit water from a branch feed pipe 9 past the valve 3 and through the hollow block 4, chamber 5, and pipe 6 to the boiler. A cap 8 having a serrated lower edge is arranged to slide on the tubular stem over the valve 3, and this cap operates to prevent the valve from pounding when it closes.

The above parts, constituting the feed water regulator, form, with the exception of the hollow spindle 7, no part of our present invention and are substantially as shown and set forth in tho specification of the prior patent referred to.

Our invention consists in mounting over the chamber 2 containing the water regulator valve device 3 and 3 a second or auxiliary chamber 10 communicating, in this instance through a pipe 11, with the steam inlet of the feed pump, not shown, which may be of any suitable known construction but preferably of a type having no dead centers.

The float controlled valve spindle 7 is for the purposes of our invention made hollow and in the embodiment shown is connected at its upper end to a hollow extension 3 the lower end of which has formed integrally therewith the valve 3, the upper end of said extension extending upwardly into the auxiliary chamber 10 and having secured thereon an annular cap or valve 12, controlling ports 13 in a casing 13. Suitable openings or ports 3 in the upper end of the exten sion 3 place the interior of the valve 12 in communication with the steam space of the boiler through the hollow extension and hollow spindle, and the valve 12 has openings or ports 12 therein to permit steam to pass to the upper side thereof to put said valve in equilibrium and thus enable it to be easily moved to cover or uncover the ports 13.

So long as the water level in the boiler remains normal, the annular cap or valve 12 is held in a position to maintain the ports 13 closed and communication between the steam space of the boiler and the pipe 11 leading to the feed pump is out off. l/Vhen the water level drops below the normal the valve spindle 7 is moved vertically upward and, simultaneously with the opening of the valve 3, to admit water to the boiler, raises the valve 12 and permits steam to pass by way of the ports 13, chamber 10 and pipe 11 to the feed pump, the volume of steam permitted to pass to the pump being regulated by the action of the float lever.

We may employ in place of the annular valve 12 a valve similar to 3 and having a loose cap or cover similar to 3.

By the means above described, the supply of steam to the feed pump is efiiciently controlled in proportion to the work the pump is called upon to do, and if no water is required to be fed into the boiler the pump remains at rest, thus avoiding useless Work and expenditure of energy and obviating the waste at the usual relief valve in the pump such as takes place when the pump is constantly working without regard to the requirements of the boiler.

The feed pump is preferably connected in the ordinary manner, through a suitable stop valve, with the main steam pipe from the boiler to permit of the boiler being filled up above the normal level when so desired. In the ordinary working of the boiler, this connection would be closed, and the supply of steam to the pump controlled as above set forth.

Instead of placing the steam regulator valve in a chamber 10 separate from the chamber 2 containing the water regulator valve 3, the chamber 2 may be extended vertically and divided or partitioned by a suitable horizontal division plate or diaphragm to form a chamber for the steam regulator valve.

The details of construction and arrangement of the steam regulator valve may be varied if desired.

Having thus described our invention,

what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination, with a tubular support adapted to be secured to a boiler and having a valve seat, of a tubular stem slidable vertically in the water passage of the said support and having a valve for admitting feed water to the boiler through the said pas sage, said valve normally resting on the said seat, a lever provided with a float and arranged inside the boiler and operatively connected with the said support and stem, a chamber secured above the said support and provided at its upper part with a passage for admitting steam from the boiler to drive the feed pump, a cylindrical casing secured in the said chamber and having a steam port, and a piston secured on the upper end portion of the said tubular stem and controlling the passage of steam through the said port from the boiler and tubular stem to the steam outlet passage.

In witness whereof We have hereunto set our hands in presence of two Witnesses. WVALTER LEES. THOMAS VJILLIAM LEES. ARCHIBALD LEES. Vitnesses FRANK LEWIN, WiLLm ARMITAGE HAYWOOD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

